Welland in the News
Funding Niagara College
July 17, 2019
Funding will help Niagara College continue to innovate
Filomena Tassi, federal minister of seniors, makes a funding announcement of nearly $2 million for Niagara College at its Niagara-on-the-Lake campus. - Dave Johnson , Torstar
Niagara College has been coined the pre-emptive college, said president Dan Patterson during a funding announcement with the federal government Wednesday morning.
He said the college not only anticipates the labour markets of today but those of tomorrow as well.
One of those markets it anticipated was in the growing Canadian cannabis sector, becoming the first accredited college in the country with a commercial cannabis program.
“It needs a highly-skilled workforce and we’re providing for that sector,” said Patterson.
And that’s why he was excited about a funding announcement of nearly $2 million made by Filomena Tassi, federal minister of seniors, on behalf of the Kirsty Duncan, minister of science and sport, at the Niagara-on-the-Lake campus.
Part of that funding will go toward equipment for researchers looking into agricultural factors that can impact the production of cannabis, Tassi said as she made the announcement.
Tassi said Ottawa is investing $57 million in 77 colleges across the country through the College and Community Innovation Program announced in mid-June.
“This will create jobs in the manufacturing, agricultural and natural resources management sector.”
She said colleges give access to the private sector to students with expert knowledge that can help businesses develop new ideas with existing products and processes.